Ducks A-Z: Hampus Lindholm

In a scrimmage last month spotlighting many of the Ducks' top prospects, Hampus Lindholm went back in his own zone to gather a puck as Max Friberg applied pressure on the forecheck in order to force him to make a play with it.

Lindholm did make a play. The defenseman gathered the puck, circled around and carried it right by Friberg and other opposing players all the way to the attacking blue line before he dropped it off.

The play didn't result in a goal or even a shot. But it created a bit of stir in the last row of Anaheim Ice where Ducks coach Bruce Boudreau and members of the team's front office sat. Here was this 6-foot-2, 194-pound blue-liner moving briskly through traffic as if he was wearing a siren.

Lindholm was taken by the Ducks with the sixth pick in the 2012 draft even as more ballyhooed defense prospects such as Mathew Dumba, Jacob Trouba and others were still on the board. But the Ducks were blown away by the 18-year-old Swede at the NHL scouting combine.

"A few of those kids might have a little higher offensive upside," said Martin Madden, the Ducks' director of amateur scouting. "One of them in particular. But overall, nobody is as strong in every aspect of the game at this point and projecting forward.

"What we like the most about Hampus is his poise and the fact that he can still play with passion and push the pace while playing a poised game. He's a very mature kid and he's still growing. He's still getting bigger. That was a nice bonus as well."

What he did in '11-12: Lindholm played for three different squads in Rogle's franchise but logged the most time between its under-20 team and the pro squad in the Allsvenskan, Sweden's second-highest league. With the under-20 team, Lindholm starred as he had five goals, 12 assists and an impressive plus-25 rating in 28 games on the way to being named the Super Elit League's top defenseman. He also saw time for Sweden in the world under-18 tournament and had four assists in six games to help his country to a silver medal. There was a bit of an adjustment period in his promotion to the Allsvenskan but he would finish with a goal and three assists in 20 games. Much of that offense came late in the season and he scored his goal in a 3-1 win over Leksands IF on Feb. 29. It was his performance in Rogle's successful postseason that really opened eyes as he had a goal, four assists and a plus-5 rating in 10 games to help his club finish second and earn a promotion to the Eliteserien, Sweden's top league.

What could happen in '12-13: Many projections had Lindholm going in the middle of the first round but he was the fourth-rated European skater by Central Scouting and was rising on a number of draft boards. Perhaps the teen-ager wasn't that much of a reach at all. The Ducks don't need to drop him right on to their blue line like they did with Cam Fowler two years ago but they are intrigued enough by Lindholm's all-around skill set and apparent poise beyond his years. He already has an NHL-ready physique but he can naturally stand to get stronger and that should happen over time. There's a quiet feeling around the club that Lindholm might make the jump sooner than later but it is a big leap from second division Swedish league hockey. The Ducks should have a starting six on defense ready to go but if Lindholm has the club drooling in training camp, there's an outside shot that he could at least get a few NHL games in before they make a judgment on whether to keep him for the season. But the best thing in the long run would be to return him to Sweden where he can finish off his contract with Rogle and get a full season of action in the Eliteserien. Toni Lydman's contract is up after the season and Lindholm could battle with Sami Vatanen to replace the veteran in 2013-14 if the Ducks think he's developing faster than anticipated.

Next over the boards: TONI LYDMAN

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